Apr 07, 2010

As everyone knows by now, President Obama recently signed legislation that makes major changes to the healthcare system in the United States. Some of the changes will affect employers in significant ways.

For example, beginning in 2014, the legislation will require an employer with more than 50 full-time employees to pay $2,000 per employee if the employer fails to offer health coverage and has at least one full-time employee rece iving a premium assistance tax credit or cost-sharing reduction created by the legislation. The first 30 employees of the employer will be excluded from the calculation of the penalty. Therefore, an employer with 70 employees that fails to offer insurance would pay a penalty of $80,000.

Additionally, beginning in six months, health plans that provide dependent coverage will be required to provide it up to age 26. In addition, the legislation prohibits health plans from excluding coverage of pre-existing conditions for children. This provision is effective six months after enactment and applies to all employer plans and new plans in the individual market. This provision will apply to all people in 2014.

Feb 21, 2010

We all know the importance of thoroughly training employees, whether
it be in workplace safety issues or critical HR topics such as sexual
harassment or discrimination. Now, to help you get the most out of your
employee training program, BLR® has created "The Instant Trainer," a
series of five free webinars specifically designed for trainers looking
for best practices and solutions to the common problems that affect
everyone's training efforts.

The program kicks off this Thursday, Feb. 25, with "Train the Trainer," a 1-hour session aimed at helping your organization's trainers understand how to assess,
identify, and develop effective training.

The sessions will be conducted by Peggy Cretella, an editor and
project manager with BLR who has developed various training products in
print, electronic, video, and online format, and Patricia Trainor, a
legal editor for BLR’s human resources and employment law publications
who has years of experience representing employers and school districts
in labor and employment matters.

Be sure to mark your calendars for these invaluable training aids:

2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25 -- Train the Trainer. Effective
training of employees is essential in today’s workplace. Few people
come to a job knowing exactly how to do it in a safe and responsible
manner. For these reasons, effective training is more important than
ever. But trainers themselves need to be trained, to increase their
effectiveness and their comfort level with the job. This session will
give you the tools to help you understand how to assess, identify, and
develop effective training.

2 p.m. Thursday, March 4 -- Building the Best Training Program: Your One-Stop Learning.
This exclusive webinar will show you how to create—and run—an effective
learning program that motivates and trains your workforce to be the
best in your industry. This guide is a one-stop training resource. Use
it to help you become a trainer who makes learning an engaging and
enjoyable experience for your trainees. Employees will look forward to
learning new skills and reinforcing old ones, and managers will look
forward to the increased profits that your well-trained workforce will
produce.

2 p.m. Thursday, March 18 -- HR Training to Avoid Lawsuits, Audits, and Fines.
We will walk you through how to develop a training plan for legal
compliance, choose the most effective training techniques, and conduct
an effective training session. Training topics include sexual
harassment training, discrimination, and safety training. Our training
experts will also address training for supervisors and new employees,
and recommended ethics training.

2 p.m. Thursday, April 1 -- Does Your Safety Training Make the Grade? Self-Audit for A+.
A lot of time and effort has probably gone into your company’s training
program. What is the result? A+ or F or somewhere in between? During
this session, BLR training experts will walk you through the critical
areas of review to make sure you are driving the best training program
you can. Once we’ve walked through each section of your program, we’ll
help to identify the remedies and next steps for issues found along the
way and provide you with the tools you need to improve even the most
complete program.

2 p.m. Thursday, April 8 -- Tips for More-Effective Safety Training.
Effective training is about more than just the course material.
Engaging the audience requires smart choices about how to deliver your
courses, encouraging participation, and how to most effectively follow
up. In Tips for More Effective Safety Training, BLR training experts
will walk you through identifying and implementing the critical
supporting details to make your safety training program really stick.

Whether your a trainer, manager, or supervisor, and whether your
field is human resource or environment, safety or health, these free
1-hour sessions will help you become the best trainer you can be. Go here for more information and to sign up for some or all of the presentations.

Oct 16, 2009

Unless you've been living in a cave, you know that millions of Americans now use social media and networking
tools like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace to stay in touch with far-flung
friends and family.

The shocker? It’s not kids who are driving this trend. Studies show that
adults ages 25 and up (particularly Baby Boomers) are much more likely to use
services like Twitter than the 12-to-24 crowd.

That’s why social media is causing seismic changes in the
ways many employers recruit new hires and communicate with their current
employees. To find cream-of-the-crop candidates for your job openings these
days, you’ll have to move beyond newspaper ads and job fairs. You also need to
start thinking beyond paycheck stuffers and print newsletters to keep your
employees updated on benefits changes, workplace policies, and other critical
information.

* How the leading online social media services work – from
the perspectives of both HR professionals and your current (and future)
employees

* The initial steps you should take to create a presence on
these sites for your organization

* The most effective ways to use these tools to post job
openings, make initial contact with candidates, and check their resumes and
references (without running into trouble)

* How social media can help you share workplace news (such
as benefits updates and policy changes) with your employees

* Why these sites can give you a big boost in utilization
rates for wellness programs, retirement plans, and other employee benefits
programs

* The biggest mistakes employers make in using social
networking tools – and how you can avoid repeating them

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Jennifer Benz is chief strategist and founder of Benz Communications, an award-winning
national employee benefits communications firm based in San Francisco. She works with dozens of
clients around the country to create strategies that encourage employees to
utilize their health care, wellness, financial, and related benefits. She
writes and speaks frequently on employee benefits issues. Benz earned her
bachelor’s degree from the University
of Missouri.

Jessica Lee is the editor of Fistful of Talent, a leading human resources blog focused
on recruiting and talent management issues. She also serves as senior
employment manager for APCO Worldwide, a global public relations firm based in Washington, DC.
She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington.